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The introduction of the Smartphone has absolutely revolutionized photography and brought it to a wider audience than in past decades. More than ever before people are able to snap quick pictures of the world around them and the things that matter most to them.
Smartphones are versatile, small and, as a general rule, you’ve always got it on you! However, as much as the technology has improved and although the picture quality is fairly reasonable and entirely good enough for sharing on social media, smartphones still have a long way to go before they can truly compete with the camera.
Like most people, I never leave my apartment without my smartphone. The phone is with me whether I go to the corner grocery store or when I want to spend a few hours relaxing in Rittenhouse Square. The newer smartphones make it very easy to take quality photographs. They have big screens that makes composition easy. They are light weight and it is very easy to share the photos instantly on Social Media like Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp.
Smartphones suffer in many areas of photography compared with the camera, including:
- Not able to change lenses.
- Much lower quality of images than the camera.
- Impossible to enlarge images without significant loss of quality.
- Less control over the final image as well as the aperture and exposure settings.
The Advantages of using a Camera instead of your Smartphone.
The camera has been evolving for more than 100 years now and the craftsmanship, expertise and knowledge that has gone into creating the modern DSLR is incredible. Cameras have many advantages over their new upstart cousins, the smartphone, and still take better photos, give more control to the photographer and can use a wide range of lenses.
You can shoot in low light conditions.
Unlike a Smartphone the camera can operate in a much wider range of lighting, including poorly lit settings by adjusting the aperture, lowering the shutter speed and, of course, by using a flash.
In terms of the physics, a Smartphone and the software it uses cannot entirely overcome the basic laws of the way that photons and light operate. A camera will always have a larger sensor which means that it can capture more information about the incoming light, which is fundamentally the basis of photography.
Don’t underestimate the importance of good camera Lenses.
Unlike a Smartphone the camera can utilize hundreds of different lenses that are specifically designed to handle different conditions and take different kinds of photographs. A good photographer can make incredible use of their lenses and will always be able to take a higher quality of image than if they just pulled out their phone and snapped a picture!
The best Smartphones have a lens that is approximately the same as a 28 mm lens on a camera which can never compete with a camera and a selection of interchangeable lenses.
A Smartphone can handle basic street photography and portrait pictures. It can also be a great tool if you are travelling and want to upload some images to your social media but for anything beyond that you need to be using a decent camera. For example, a wide angle lens is far superior when you are taking landscape or architectural photos. If you are taking photos of wildlife or sporting events then you will want to be using a 135 mm telephoto lens to get the best quality images.
You can Customize the Settings in Manual mode on your camera.
When you use your camera you have the ultimate control over the finished product. When you use the manual settings on your camera you can control the exposure, change the aperture, shutter speed and ISO. These are invaluable features on the camera that allow you to work in less favorable lighting conditions as well as be much more creative with your work.
Zoom and the ability to vary the focal length.
Having the capacity to zoom in on your subject opens up a whole world of possibilities that are simply impossible on the Smartphone. Whether that is zooming into a small subject such as an insect on a flower or zooming in across the landscape to take the perfect minimalist photo of a distant tree in the desert, you can’t replace the functional versatility of a good zoom lens.
Fast Action Photos work best on a Camera.
If you are taking photos of a sporting event or any subject that is moving rapidly then you will need to utilize the manual shutter speed settings of your camera. For a sporting event you will need to set your shutter speed to about 1/500 (of a second). You can also use a wider aperture to get clearer shots of fast action subjects which again, you cannot control on your Smartphone.
Mirrorless Camera is a great Compromise.
A normal camera with a lens is definitely bigger than a smartphone. But almost all the major camera manufacturers these days offer mirrorless cameras. Mirrorless cameras are much smaller and lighter. Their lenses are small also. The quality of the photos and videos are comparable to the DSLR cameras. You should definitely consider a mirrorless camera if you are thinking of buying a camera.
When it comes to photography the Camera is still King!
Despite the many uses of a Smartphone when it comes to photography the camera is still the best choice for any serious photographer. The camera has far more functionality and produces much higher quality images in any given situation than a Smartphone could ever hope to. Of course using your phone to snap a photo of your meal in a restaurant for social media is just fine, but if you’re taking portraits, landscapes or artistic photos then only a camera will do.
This is not to say that you have to choose though. Many photographers use their phones like an artist would use a scrapbook, to keep their notes and thoughts in, which can later be turned into serious paintings or works of art. Similarly, you can use your phone to make a record of an idea or concept and then later go back and use your camera to take a photo which will make the very best of the subject matter while allowing you to express your inner vision to the full.
Do you use your smartphone a lot for photography?
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